Kolkata: A newlywed woman from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore went to Meghalaya with her husband for a honeymoon. But then, in a shocking twist, she allegedly hired assassins to kill her husband in the Northeastern state. While the husband’s body was found, the wife was still missing, leading to speculations that she was abducted. But the final twist was yet to come. Now, the woman has been found at a roadside restaurant at Nandganj in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur in the early hours of June 9.
The woman, Sonam, has surrendered and been arrested for allegedly murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon. According to police, she allegedly orchestrated the killing by hiring contract killers. The case resembles a crime thriller on the big screen, only that this incident has shattered and shocked people in real life. Also, it has raised questions about the problems men are facing in this country, with their silent, ignored screams going unheard.
Murder mystery: What has happened?
The UP Police found Sonam Raghuvanshi late on June 8 in Kashi Dhaba. The owner of the dhaba, Sahil Yadav, said, “Sonam came here around 1 AM. She wanted my phone to call her family members, and I gave it to her. She started crying when she called her family. I took my phone from her and gave them the details about Sonam’s location. She was not mentally fine. After some time, her brother called me and asked me to inform the local police. Police arrived here and took her around 2:30 AM. Sonam was alone; I gave her water.”
Devi Singh, Sonam’s father has claimed her daughter is innocent. He said, “My daughter is innocent. I have trust in my daughter. She cannot kill her husband. They got married with the consent of both families.” Also, he accused the Meghalaya government of “lying from the beginning.” Regarding the incident, Uma Raghuvanshi, the mother of Raja Raghuvanshi, said, “If Sonam loved my son, she wouldn’t have left my son to die. How is she safe? All people behind this should be strictly punished. I don’t know who Raj Kushwaha is. Sonam planned their honeymoon. They didn’t book their return tickets.”
He added, “My daughter came to a dhaba in Ghazipur last night and she called her brother. Police went to the dhaba, and she was taken from there. I have not been able to speak to my daughter. Why would my daughter do such a thing? The Meghalaya Police is lying. My daughter reached Ghazipur on her own. She was not arrested in Meghalaya. We were thinking of meeting Madhya Pradesh CM and then Union HM Amit Shah to request a CBI inquiry. Meghalaya Police is making up stories. Let the CBI inquiry begin, all officers at the police station (in Meghalaya) will be behind bars.”
Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General (ADG) of Law and Order, Amitabh Yash has said that since the case belongs to Meghalaya Police, the UP Police hasn’t interrogated Sonam. He added that Sonam would be handed over to Meghalaya Police. About finding Sonam, he said that at around 3 am, she called her family members and informed them of her presence at the Kashi Dhaba on Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. Her family members gave Indore Police the information and contacted UP Police. Later, Ghazipur Police took her to the hospital and then to the One Stop Centre in Ghazipur. The same was reiterated by Ghazipur SP Iraj Raja and he informed that the UP Police would do further probe.
Raja Raghuvanshi (27) and Sonam (25) recently got married. They went to Meghalaya for their honeymoon and on June 2, Raja was found dead in a gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls days after the couple went missing. At first, Sonam was considered missing but later she surrendered to police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur and was arrested. Three others, allegedly involved in the murder conspiracy, were also apprehended during overnight raids in UP and Madhya Pradesh.
